Dorsal vein sclerosis as a predictor of outcome in penile venous ligation surgery

We studied the pathological specimens obtained from 24 impotent men who underwent proximal penile vein ligation and 6 potent men who underwent total penectomy as part of male-to-female transsexual surgery to determine if a correlation exists between venous pathology and surgical outcome. Pathology specimens, consisting of cavernosal tissue and penile veins, were independently reviewed by a single uropathologist (V.A.). The degree of vein wall thickness was carefully quantified for each patient. Venous leakage was documented by cavernosometry and cavernosography. Followup ranged from 7 to 19 months (mean 11 months). Within 6 months of the procedure 10 patients (41%) achieved rigid erections while 14 (59%) did not. Although no preoperative index could predict operative success, in the 10 patients with successful outcome histological examination of the excised vein segments revealed normal venous architecture with minimal vein wall thickness (calculated mean per cent vein wall thickness 39.4, range 17.5 to 51.7). In contrast, in the 14 patients in whom ligation failed there was marked vein wall thickness and sclerosis (calculated mean per cent vein wall thickness 68.0, range 55.3 to 85.6). In comparison, the vein segments obtained from the 6 potent patients had a wall thickness of 32.8% (range 8 to 39), which was equivalent to the 10 patients with postoperative erections. These findings suggest that there may be a correlation between vein wall thickness and the prognosis of patients who undergo venous ligation surgery for erectile dysfunction secondary to presumed corporeal venous incompetence.